Paper towel dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for a supply roll of web material such as toweling includes a web rest for supporting the free end of a web in a convenient access position below a tear-off knife. A pivotally mounted floating web depresser in the dispenser outlet yieldably holds the web on the supporting web rest but pivots upwardly as the web is lifted and drawn against the tear-off knife. When a sheet is severed from the roll, the web depresser removes the web end from the knife and returns it to position on the web rest.

Unite States atent n91 Dashnier et al.

1 Jan. 30, 1973 [541 PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER [75] Inventors: Merwin J. Dashnier; James A. Diring, both of Green Bay, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Alwin Manufacturing Company,

Inc., Green Bay, Wis.

[22] Filed: Dec. 7, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 95,522

[52] US. Cl. ..225/21, 225/51, 225/85 [51] Int. Cl. ..B26f 3/02 [58] Field of Search ..225/21, 24, 51,82, 84, 85,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1956 Waltz ..225/21 5/1949 Kienle ..225/85X 3,228,578 1/1966 Waltz ..225/21 3,152,032 10/1964 Waltz ..225/21 X 1,064,596 6/1913 Bangslon ..225/85 X Primary ExaminerFrank T. Yost Assistant Examiner-Leon Gilden Att0rney-Wheeler, House & Wheeler [57] ABSTRACT A dispenser for a supply roll of web material such as toweling includes a web rest for supporting the free end of a web in a convenient access position below a tear-off knife. A pivotally mounted floating web depresser in the dispenser outlet yieldably holds the web on the supporting web rest but pivots upwardly as the web islifted and drawn against the tear-off knife. When a sheet is severed from the roll, the web depresser removes the web end from the knife and returns it to position on the web rest.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The invention relates to dispensers for supply rolls of web materials which employ a tear-off knife to sever sheets of varying lengths from the roll. The severed end of the web often adheres to the tear-off knife making it difficult to grasp and frequently causing an abrasion to the users fingers.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention provides a dispenser for a supply roll of web material and includes a pivoted web depresser having web engaging tabs which remove the free end of the severed roll from tear-off knife and return the end of the web to a web rest at a convenient access position remote from the knife. Thus, risk of injury to the fingers or hand caused by accidental contact with the tear-off knife when attempting to remove the end of the web from the knife is minimized.

The web depresser may comprise an upwardly open channel member with upstanding cars at the channel ends pivoted to the axis of one of two closely spaced web guide rollers. The undersurface of the web depresser is desirably in a plane tangential to the surface of the commonly pivoted guide roller to provide a smooth delivery upon withdrawal of the web. The supply roll is located above the dispensing slot and the web depends downwardly from the roll and is trained between the guide rollers and beneath the web depresser. The gap between the guide rollers is beneath the tear-off knife, thus, the web end must be lifted to sever a sheet. The guide rollers and web depresser resist unwinding of the roll except as tension is exerted on the end of the web.

The web rest is formed by a lower wall portion having an inturned flange located inwardly and below the tear-off knife which is located on the lower margin of an upper dispenser wall. The web depresser swings freely in the dispenser outlet slot between the web rest and a position in which it is nested inside the tear-off knife.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following disclosure.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a web dispenser in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view in fragmentary section and with portions removed of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top view with parts broken away of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION The dispenser case includes a top wall 12 which merges with a downwardly depending curved upper and forward wall portion 14 which has a lower margin 16 provided with a serrated edge or tear-off knife 18. An upturned lower wall portion 19 has an inturned flange forming a web rest 20. A hinged rear wall 22 affords access for installing supply rolls 21 which are rotatably supported above the knife 18 by arms 23 (on the rear wall in this embodiment). Web 50 withdrawn from the roll 21 is trained through a dispenser slot 1 l of case 10 where it passes between guide rolls 39 and 41 and across web rest 20.

A floating web depresser and clamp 24 is provided to return the web to a convenient access position on the web rest 20 subsequent to the severing of a sheet from the roll with the tear-off knife 18. The web depresser 24 includes an upwardly open channel member 26 which spans the width of the web and a plurality of outwardly projecting web engaging tabs 28 and 30. The web depresser 24 includes upwardly extending ears 32 and 34. The ears 32 and 34 enclose the ends of the channel and have ear portions 33 which project rearwardly from the channel flange 35. The ears 32, 34 can be formed from the same stamping as the channel member and tabs 28, 30.

Means are provided for pivotally supporting the web depresser 24 on the dispenser. In this embodiment, the means includes apertures 36 in the ears and outwardly projecting axial pins 38 on web guide roller 39. The pins 38 are received in apertures 42 in dispenser side walls 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 44 of the web depresser 24 is in a plane generally tangential with the surface of the guide roller 39 and forms a smooth corner or juncture 46 with channel flange 35 to thus provide for smooth delivery of the web as the web depresser 24 is displaced upwardly when the web 50 is lifted and pulled across the cut-off knife 18.

We Claim:

1. A web dispenser comprising side walls, an upstanding lower wall portion providing a web rest, an upper wall portion located upwardly and forwardly of said web rest and spaced from said web rest to provide a web outlet, a tear-off knife on said upper wall portion, a guide roller, a web depresser having a lower web engaging surface and forwardly projecting web engaging tabs spaced to provide manual access to the web, upstanding ears on said web depresser having portions projecting inwardly of said outlet from said lower web engaging surface, a supply roll having a web trained around said guide roller and beneath said web engaging surface, and means for commonly pivotally supporting said inwardly projecting ear portions and said guide roller on said side walls to afford movement of said tabs downward by gravity to to strip the web from said tearoff knife and clamp the web on said web rest and an upwardly displaced position against gravity adjacent said tear-off knife to permit severance of a sheet from the web.

2. A web dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said lower web engaging surface of said web depresser is in a plane generally tangential with the surface of said guide roller.

3. A web dispenser according to claim 4 wherein said web depresser has a transversely extending, upstanding flange adjacent said guide roller, said flange and said lower surface forming a smooth juncture to afford smooth delivery of said web.

DMTDD smins PATENT @FFEQE @ERTEFEQATE @F QGREQTEN Patent 5,7 5,5 9 Dated January 50, 1975 Inventor(s) Merwin J. Dashnier and James A. Dining It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, Claim}, Line 1 of the claim, --change "according to claim P" to according tofclaim 2 Signed and sealed this 10th day of July 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Rene Te'gtmeyer Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM P0405 ($69) I USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 1.5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 2 I969 0*365'334, 

1. A web dispenser comprising side walls, an upstanding lower wall portion providing a web rest, an upper wall portion located upwardly and forwardly of said web rest and spaced from said web rest to provide a web outlet, a tear-off knife on said upper wall portion, a guide roller, a web depresser having a lower web engaging surface and forwardly projecting web engaging tabs spaced to provide manual access to the web, upstanding ears on said web depresser having portions projecting inwardly of said outlet from said lower web engaging surface, a supply roll having a web trained around said guide roller and beneath said web engaging surface, and means for commonly pivotally supporting said inwardly projecting ear portions and said guide roller on said side walls to afford movement of said tabs downward by gravity to to strip the web from said tear-off knife and clamp the web on said web rest and an upwardly displaced position against gravity adjacent said tear-off knife to permit severance of a sheet from the web.
 1. A web dispenser comprising side walls, an upstanding lower wall portion providing a web rest, an upper wall portion located upwardly and forwardly of said web rest and spaced from said web rest to provide a web outlet, a tear-off knife on said upper wall portion, a guide roller, a web depresser having a lower web engaging surface and forwardly projecting web engaging tabs spaced to provide manual access to the web, upstanding ears on said web depresser having portions projecting inwardly of said outlet from said lower web engaging surface, a supply roll having a web trained around said guide roller and beneath said web engaging surface, and means for commonly pivotally supporting said inwardly projecting ear portions and said guide roller on said side walls to afford movement of said tabs downward by gravity to to strip the web from said tear-off knife and clamp the web on said web rest and an upwardly displaced position against gravity adjacent said tear-off knife to permit severance of a sheet from the web.
 2. A web dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said lower web engaging surface of said web depresser is in a plane generally tangential with the surface of said guide roller. 